Tala's Party
by Deserttail
Summary: It's Tala's birthday but he doesn't seem to be too happy at his own party. Can Ray get the Russian to talk him about his past and what's hurting him now? TalaXRay. One-Shot. Prequel to The Pack  currently not on here


**Ok this is bascially a one-shot prequel to another story I am currently writing with 2 chapters done already. If you want me to start putting the story on here just let me know and I'll do it. It'll probably be up eventually anyway just not as quickly because of other stories XD**

**A few things, I don't have much knowledge when it comes to Russian food or anything like that. It does have yaoi in it but nothing really happens because it's me getting my own back story straight. And most of the stuff in here is random! **

**Disclaimer: No I don't own Beyblade!**

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><p>The sky was just starting to get dark when the first guests started to arrive in small groups. They were arriving to a birthday party most of them would never have expected to be invited to, or for that person to have a party. The party was being held in a normal two story house in the capital of Russia, Moscow. Many thought it would have been at Kai's mansion, which was considerably bigger but more inconvenient to get to from the hotels that the international guests had to stay in.<p>

This house had specifically been rented for the pure reason of the party, or at least that's what everyone had been told. When Ray walked into the house it looked as if someone could live there permanently but he didn't say a thing as his sharp eyes surveyed the inside of the house, maybe it had been rented with everything in it already.

The front door instantly led into the main lounge room, which had a couple of couches, a large plasma TV complete with a DVD and sound system and a fireplace, which wasn't lit as it was the middle of summer. Floorboards glistened and led the way into the other rooms on the first floor other than the kitchen and bathroom where large white tiles replaced the wood. A few people had already made themselves comfortable on the couches with drinks in hands, alcohol for those of age and soft drinks and punch for everyone else, though Ray noticed that Tyson had some sort of cocktail in his hand.

Making his way towards the backyard he passed the kitchen, the smell coming from it made him pause as he couldn't place it with anything he knew. He was a natural cook himself and curiosity filled him, he'd never had a go at cooking Russian food and only ever had a taste of it a couple of times before when he'd been in the country for blading purposes.

"What's wrong?" Lee asked beside his friend having come with the Tiger and the rest of the team who were currently greeting the other teams that had already arrived.

"Nothing," Ray answered with a small smile. "You go on a head I want to have a look at something."

His best friend shrugged and continued on the way to the backyard. Without any more hesitation, Ray entered the kitchen and his eyes instantly opened wide in surprise. There was food everywhere, some ready and obviously the appetizers, while others were half cooked or haven't even been touched yet. The smell that had caught the Neko-jin's attention in the first place was coming from a large saucepan on the opposite side of the room.

"You know if you're hungry you just have to wait like everyone else," said the only other person in the room.

The large Russian looked exhausted already and he hadn't even touched half the dinner and none of the desserts that still needed to be cooked. "Sorry, I could smell that from outside," Ray replied with a sheepish grin pointing at the pot. "And I was just wondering what it was, I've never smelt anything like it before."

Spencer gave him a strained smile; it looked odd on someone Ray had only ever seen smile a hand full of times before. "It's Borscht, I'm guessing you can smell the beetroots," the older male explained. "It's a popular Russian soup."

"Do you want a hand cooking?" Ray asked, his eyes looking over the food with some interest.

"No, you're a guest here."

"So are you technically, I assume you were invited like everyone else and just because you're the only one of the Blitzkrieg Boys that can cook doesn't mean you should do it alone," the Tiger replied calmly. "Besides I enjoy cooking and I'd love to learn some Russian dishes."

The blonde Russian regarded him rapidly before walking to the other end of the kitchen and getting another apron from a draw just under the stove. "Here, this should cover you up enough so most of your clothes won't get ruined," he said gratefully.

After that the two barely spoke unless it involved the food and it was obvious that Spencer was more relaxed now that there was another set of hands to get things done. Of course it had been his own fault he was the one cooking for his friend. They had offered to get in a few cooks for the party but that would use even more of Kai's money than it was already with renting the place and none of them really liked doing that so Spencer had offered to do it instead, which he flatly refused to regret no matter how much stress or extra work it required him to do.

The Whale was impressed with how efficient that Tiger was in the kitchen and they offered advice about a few things to each other. They had barely if ever spoken before this and it didn't take long for them to feel almost at home around the other so similar were they. It was good to find someone else that could actually cook among the bladers. They finally had all the dishes for dinner ready, all 12 dishes. Perhaps not many for the amount of people outside in the house or the yard but they were incredibly large and if possible there were even more desserts to come, though half of those were done and in the fridge there were still some hot ones that needed to be made later on.

The kitchen had a bench big enough to accommodate the mass amount of food as well as the paper plates, forks, knives and cups (that way they don't have to wash up as well as cook everything). After making sure everything looked clean, which took a little while due to the fact everything was white and any stain could be easily seen, Spencer went out to announce dinner was ready while Ray stowed their aprons away for later use.

Tyson, Daichi and Ian were the first three there but it didn't take long for everyone else to catch up and the area to become almost chaotic. The Russian returned and stood by Ray as he watched all the people get their plates of food and fight over what they want and get in a tangle around each other.

"I think our foods a hit," the Chinese blader grinned. "We should go into a business together."

Spencer laughed, earning him an odd look from those still getting food. "Let's make sure they like the taste as well as the look before we set anything in stone."

As soon as the last person got their food, which happened to be Emily, they set their own food aside and then put a net over the food so no insects could get in while the doors were open. Joining the others, Ray made his way towards Lee and Tyson while Spencer went to find Bryan.

"Ray! About time you joined the party," grinned an obviously happy and tipsy Tyson.

Max sighed and rolled his eyes. "Ian thought it would be amusing to give Tyson some alcohol."

"He reminds me of when you have sugar," Ray said lightly, sitting on the grass beside the American, an amused glint in his golden brown eyes.

This managed to get a pout out of Max but it didn't last long as the younger teen continued to eat his food happily. He wasn't good at acting angry or upset for any length of time. However if he actually was angry or upset you'd better watch out.

The conversation, which wasn't really one, stopped as they ate but some of the others had either finished their food or were mucking around anyway. Hilary was with Mariah, Julia and Emily and the four of them were giggling about something. Rick, Michel, Kevin, Eddy, Enrique, Oliver, Raul and Joseph were all playing some game with a football, although both Michel and Enrique looked as if they'd been drinking at some stage and didn't quite run or walk in a straight line. On the opposite side of the yard, as far from the sport playing bladers as possible, sat Bryan, Spencer, Steve and Robert watching the ball fly across the large backyard. Bryan didn't look particularly happy for some reason.

Most of the others would be inside on the couches or in the large dining room just beside the front room. As Ray glanced around the yard he realised he hadn't yet said hello, or happy birthday for that matter, to the birthday boy. Finishing his food first he told the others that he'd be back a bit later and made his way into the house. First he visited the kitchen so he could throw away his plate and cup and then made his way to the lounge room.

The room was swarming with more bladers, the loud noise of all their conversations instantly hurting his ears. Growing up without many people around meant he wasn't used to loud noises, although Mariah could be pretty loud if she wanted and her brother wasn't much better. He couldn't see the other teen here and took a look in the dining room, which had less people but they were just as noisy. The Tiger wished he'd brought painkillers with him.

"Kai," Ray called as he spotted the younger teen at the end of the table looking incredibly amused at something.

"Hn," was his only reply.

"Do you know where Tala is?"

The Phoenix looked thoughtful for a second. "I think he's upstairs," Kai said. "But no one else can get up there because the fucking door at the top of the stairs has a lock on it."

Suddenly Ray had a feeling that the reason the young Russian was amused had something to do with the red head but he didn't stay to ask, Kai probably wouldn't tell him anyway. The Tiger returned to the backyard, narrowly avoiding the football as it hurtled towards him the moment he stepped outside. Now almost everyone, even the girls, had joined the game so Ray sat against the wall beside Max, who was the only other one not playing.

Why would a random rented house have a locked door at the top of the stairs? Maybe it was because the occupants knew it would be used as a party house. Ray couldn't work it out and he hadn't seen the older teen by the time he had to go back to cooking. He didn't know Tala well but he still felt concerned even though no one else seemed to notice the Russian's absence.

When Ray arrived at the kitchen, Spencer had already taken the birthday cake out of the fridge and very carefully set in on the bench. It was a double Decker cake with the larger bottom circle a chocolate fudge cake with swirls of caramel (which had been a pain to make) and the smaller top a vanilla and banana mix. They still had to apply the icing and the candles and get the rest of the desserts ready.

This proved to be much faster than the dinner and soon the cake was covered in a nice chocolate icing with 18 different coloured candles and a small figurine of a grey wolf howling. A large fruit plate had been placed beside it and they both had their doubts on how many people would touch that but Kai has specifically asked for it so they didn't have much choice. Around the bench was another 13 different desserts of all kinds, both Russian and non Russian.

Happy with the results, Spencer went to find Tala and get everybody inside for the singing and the cake. Ray stayed behind to find either some matches or a lighter so they could actually light the candles on the cake. It took him a good ten minutes but finally he found some matches hidden in the corner of the pantry, which didn't have anything else in it. After that it took a few more minutes for the blonde Russian to reappear scowling.

"Ok let's get this thing done," Spencer said with a hint of frustration.

Ray didn't ask what had happened, he still wasn't that close to the older teen, but he was curious to the sudden change in mood. Carefully they carried the cake out to the dining room and set it in front of Tala, who was sitting at the head of the table with a small smile on his face. Ray noticed it didn't reach his eyes which looked more wary. They lit the candles and backed away.

For a single moment everyone was silent, and that second was almost the best part of the night for the Tiger as his ringing ears got a very brief break, and then at the same time everyone in the room started singing, some more drunkenly than others. Tala blew out the candles without much difficulty and cut the cake, the smile on his face the whole time.

Quickly Spencer took the cake to join the other desserts and basically everyone followed on his heels. Not wanting to be trampled Ray stayed behind, not really caring what was left after the horde of teenagers got their hands on the food. In the dining room there was a bar area and this is where Tala had retreated to.

"Did you want anything to drink?" The Russian offered from behind the wooden structure.

"Umm, I don't drink."

"Come on, how about some vodka with a soft drink of your choice? One drink won't make you that drunk," the Wolf argued, his clear very blue eyes focused on the Tiger with intrigue.

Without waiting for an answer he prepared two glasses and Ray sighed as Tala pointed at the soft drinks in the ice bath. "Creaming Soda," he said, resigned to whatever the older teen had planned.

He took his drink and glanced at it as if it was evil but shrugged and walked out into the lounge room with it, followed by Tala who had already had a few drinks himself though he appeared unaffected. They found everyone outside in a circle, a very suspicious looking beer bottle sitting in the middle. Ray guessed they should have got their desserts before they came out because by the looks of things they weren't going back in.

"Ok, now that you two are here it's time to start this fucking game of truth or dare," Bryan announced ominously, his normally barely noticeable Russian accent more profound now that he was almost completely wasted.

Ray sighed and the two of them sat between Kai and Johnny, the only place left to sit. The lilac haired Russian started the game by spinning the bottle and landed on Emily.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare," she replied with no hesitation.

"I dare you to make out with Robert for whole minute while dancing the cha cha."

Everyone stared at him, both Emily and Robert had disbelief on their faces but the German just shrugged. They'd both agreed to this, kind of, so they didn't have much choice. And so that's how the game started. The pair doing their dare with a little bit of difficultly, mostly because the American had never really danced before, and then many others followed them.

By the time the bottle landed on Ray for the first time, Tyson had had to beg Kai to allow him to keep his title, Lee had to half strip off (which he had not been happy about), Rick and Max had to both eat something that looked deadly from very far away, Mariah had her hair cut a few inches shorter, Ian had said truth and had to explain his large nose and small size, and Oliver had to act like a crazy person for the rest of the night. And that was only a few things.

"Truth or Dare?" Bryan said eerily, having just been forced to switch clothes with Hilary and was now wearing a dress, which he found quite funny.

"Uh, dare," Ray had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Ok, I dare you to streak your hair blonde and red."

The Tiger froze. "Do you have any hair dye?"

"As a matter of fact I do, just for you little kitty," sneered the Russian.

"Where do I do it? There's no shower on the first floor," Ray snarled softly.

"I can take you to the one on the second floor," Tala put in suddenly, earning himself a death glare.

Off they went and because Ray would probably be quite a long time he chose Lee to continue the game for him. Tala disappeared for a moment to find the dye Bryan had mentioned and then they made their way upstairs. Ray would never have guessed the Russian had been drinking, his movement purposeful and almost seemed a bit edgy as they entered through the door, which was quickly locked behind them.

The Wolf steered Ray to the bathroom without letting him have a chance to look around. "This can be your towel," Tala said, stuffing a white towel into the Tiger's hands roughly. "Try not to get dye on it."

With that he left the room. Ray looked down at the dye and the towel and had to stop himself from hitting his head against the wall. It would take him ages to get the blonde and red into his black hair even with the bleach which had generously been added to the pile of dye. It didn't help that his head throbbed and the small vodka he'd drunk had only made it worse. Finally he got to work and once again thought it was time to get his hair cut. He loved it that long but it was getting to be a real pain to do it every day.

Eventually he finished, he didn't know how long it took because he didn't know the time but it felt like a long time to him. It was at that moment he realised that he didn't have a hairbrush.

"Tala?" he asked, wondering if the Russian was still there.

"Yes?" came the calm reply from the other side of the door.

"Uh, do you have a hairbrush here I can borrow?" Ray felt awkward at the question, after all why would the Wolf have something like that here.

Unlocking the bathroom door he peered out at almost instantly meeting Tala's gaze. For the first time he could remember the blue eyes looked uncertain as if contemplating something important.

"I think there's one in the main bedroom if you want to follow me."

The Tiger nodded, slightly surprised but followed anyway. The main bedroom was off a large hallway leading to the back of the house and from there the sounds of the backyard drifted up to them.

"You don't seem very happy to be at your own party," Ray commented as Tala turned on the light.

It was statement so he didn't expect a response and he was surprised when the Wolf answered, "It wasn't my idea. Bryan and Kai organised it all, I picked the location when I knew they'd go ahead with it regardless of what I wanted."

Tala's shoulders were stiff and his face was cold and hard as he searched and found the hairbrush he was looking for. Golden brown eyes focused on him, he hadn't meant to upset the Russian, in all honestly he hadn't thought it possible, but somehow he had and he regretted it. Tala handed him the brush without another word and lay down on the bed with his eyes closed.

As Ray brushed his hair his eyes glanced around the room curiously. A photo frame caught his attention and he almost gasped when he saw the photo. In it was a young Tala, a young woman about Tala's age now with brown hair and light green eyes and a man a few years older with dingy red hair and cloudy blue eyes. All of them were pale but the man, Tala's father Ray thought, looked even paler as if he was sick.

The Tala in the photo looked to be about two years old; his face unlined and happy, the only time Ray had ever seen the Wolf truly smile as if he was having a good time. His flaming red hair was short and his mother's hand was on it as if she'd been ruffling it affectionately.

In his fascination with the picture, Ray had stopped brushing his hair completely taken in by the young family that looked so happy. He had never imagined Tala coming from a background such as this, he'd thought more of abandonment or abusive parents like a lot of the other abbey kids. Kai had never shared much with him about the abbey, it was something none of the Russians ever spoke about, but he'd told Ray how he'd ended up there and a few others he knew of but Bryan had been the only one the Tiger could put a face to, but all their stories had been tragic to listen to.

It took another few minutes for Ray to link the fact that this house wasn't rented like everyone else believed. This was Tala's house, maybe the very house he'd grown up in, and the only place he'd ever truly been happy. It made sense, now, why Tala had wanted the party here.

"You should finish your hair, they'll be wondering where you are soon," the Wolf spoke, sitting up to watch Ray who stared back with wide eyes.

"Did you grow up here?" Ray asked very suddenly, his mind whirling trying to re-evaluate everything he knew about the Russian.

Tala's eyes moved to the photograph and then closed them tightly. He'd never told anyone of his past, not even those at the abbey and not even Boris or Voltaire knew who he really was. The moment he'd been taken was the moment secrets, lies and power had ruled his life. He should have hidden the photos while Ray was in the bathroom.

"I grew up in many places," was his only reply and he walked over to the window to see the others were still playing the accursed game.

Ray didn't dare ask any other questions, the red head's tone had been pretty final about that, and instead finished his hair so they could go back and join the others. Every eye was on him as he exited the back door. Down his long black raven hair, which he'd allowed to flow out of its wrap, were four streaks of each colour which easily stood out.

"You took your time," Bryan said loudly, delighted at the effect that he had basically created.

Ignoring the Falcon, Ray sat back down in his spot and the Wolf sat down beside him. It was Rick's turn to spin the evil beer bottle and it landed on Tala, who looked almost bored.

"Dare," he said lazily before the American could ask.

"Seeing as you, Ivanov, and Kon were having such a great time on your own together, I dare you to kiss him passionately for a whole five minutes," Rick said, his eyes glazed slightly from the alcohol.

The Russian barely blinked, it wasn't ideal but he didn't really care that much, Ray on the other hand was staring blankly at Rick as if he hadn't understood the words. There was a small blush on his face from the idea of being that close to anyone.

"Come on, sweetheart. Let's get this over with," Tala's voice was mocking, acting how the others believed he would.

Ray growled softly, his mind had flown back to when he'd been looking in the bathroom for a hairbrush, to opening the cabinet and the pills that had been lined up there. Tala's strange calmness has just triggered him to the fact that if this was Tala's house, or perhaps his parents, then the pills were his too. Ray hadn't read the subscription but felt certain he'd find the Russian's name on them.

His thought process came to an abrupt end as lips met his own impatiently. Strong but thin arms had wrapped around his waist and it took him a few seconds to process what had happened. Almost instinctively, his own arms responded by snaking their way around the older teen's neck. Their torsos were touching and Ray could feel Tala's surprising warmth through both their t-shirts. Ray felt his heart quicken without his permission as Tala demanded entrance with his tongue and he had no real choice but to open his mouth. But he wasn't going to be the submissive one and his own tongue fought back for control. They fought like this for a while before the Wolf got the last word by softly nipping the Tiger's lower lip before drawing away when Tyson announced that the time was up.

Very discreetly, Ray gasped for breath and tried to force his racing heart down. He couldn't do anything about the redness he knew had deepened on his face. Tala's sky blue gaze looked almost shocked as he glanced at Ray one last time before placing his blank look back on and spun the bottle. Everyone else was looking incredibly amused.

Ray barely even registered anyone else around him. That was the strongest his body had ever reacted to a kiss, to anybodies touch. He'd had making out sessions before with Mariah and a few other women but he'd never felt the way they had afterwards. Now he thinks he understood why they enjoyed it so much. Just thinking about it made his heart faster again and he had to force the thoughts away, at least for now, at least away from Tala who was rigid beside him.

'So I like guys, huh? I guess it could be worse,' he thought to himself.

After another 30 minutes the game finished and everyone retreated inside for a movie, they were all staying the night in sleeping bags which the Russian's had supplied.

"Can you help me bring the sleeping bags down?" Tala's hand grabbed Ray's shoulder gently before the Tiger could find a place to sit.

The first thing that Ray thought is that the Wolf asked rather than demanded, the next thought was that he'd been chosen because he'd already been upstairs.

"Yeah sure," he answered before heading to the stairs wondering if he should ask Tala about the pills he had found.

The Russian lead the way to the front of the house on the second floor, where another two bedrooms were. One was completely empty and the other was full of rolled up sleeping bags and a rolled up tent with some poles so some people could sleep outside if they wanted. Slowly they began to move them to the top of the stairs just before the door and the pile never seemed to go down.

Golden brown eyes kept glancing towards Tala, thoughts drifting over the dare and then thinking of the pills and the way the young Russian could have grown up. Every so often blue eyes would meet his own and he almost couldn't help but blush and look away instantly, so suspicious.

"You know if you have something on your mind, spit it out it'll make both our lives easier," the Wolf said after almost all the sleeping bags had been taken to the stairs.

Tala was leaning against one of the walls with an almost bored expression, looking directly into the Tiger's eyes.

"It's nothing," Ray muttered.

"Why were you blushing?" Tala asked, obviously not believing the younger teen.

Ray stiffened; the Wolf's tone implied that he already knew what Ray was thinking.

"The kiss we shared outside, perhaps?" Icy blue eyes sharpened and pierced Ray to the bone.

"Yeah," the Tiger answered awkwardly.

The wolf smiled sadly, "at least I can do something right."

"What do you mean?"

Tala hesitated, "It's nice to make someone happy after forcing so much pain on others, nice to feel something other than anger, panic and fear when they follow your every footstep."

Impulsively, Ray stepped forward, his mind and judgement slightly clouded by the alcohol or at least that's what he told himself. His heart went out to the lonely wolf, the wolf that had lost his pack and changed forever because of it. The Tiger looked up at Tala and then kissed him softly on the lips.

"Can I trust you?" the Russian asked quietly, wanting to continue what they had begun outside but needing to know the answer. After the abbey he had no trust for anybody or anything but right now that's the only thing he wanted.

"Yes," came the simple reply.

Tala looked thoughtful for a moment longer before nodding to himself. "I think you should hear my story, I haven't told anyone it before but I'm willing to see if I can trust you with it. Kai has said you are one of the best people to talk to about anything."

A pale hand held Ray's and led him to the main bedroom and they both settled on the bed. Tala had grabbed the photo of his family when he'd been young that Ray had seen before and lay down on the bed. The Tiger lay beside him, turning onto his side so he could look at the Wolf.

"My parents were very young when they had me, my mother, Anastasia was only 16 and my father, Steve was 18. At the time my father had just inherited an electronics company that had done well for itself over the years and operated worldwide so they had plenty of money to spare; they owned houses all over the world and lived comfortable lives. Before this he'd worked for his uncle in the company and on one of his ventures to Russia to settle a small money dispute he met my mother and instantly fell in love. My mother's family didn't approve when they were to get married only 2 months after they first met and the fact he wasn't Russian like them but she went ahead with the wedding anyway and was forced to cut off contact with her family because of their disapproval.

My father came from Scotland and the newly married couple moved there until he got the company and they had to travel. I was born in Canada, a long way from both sides of my heritage but I would see them both as well as half the world before I would turn 3. I wasn't christened Tala Ivanov that was the name Voltaire gave me when I refused to tell him my real name, no my parents had called me Jason Alexander Wolf. I was home schooled and learnt fast, wherever I went I made friends quickly and I was happy with my life.

My father was sick often, he had a rare disease that was not curable at the time and maybe not now either, that made him have flu symptoms for weeks on end but he was a fighter and for as long as I lived with my family he was strong and overcame anything in his way. It wasn't until I was 9 years old that I ended up at the abbey. We were visiting Moscow for a few weeks as a small holiday and being the child that I was I wondered away from them when we were looking at the sites, I can't remember which one we were visiting at the time nor can I remember anything 3 weeks prior to being taken. Anyway I'd wondered away and Boris found me, I've always wondered what caught his interest that made him kidnap me and how he actually did it, it's not like the capitol is deserted.

The next thing I remember is waking up, incredibly cold with four steel walls around me and a single light bulb high above my head. There was a single door in the room and nothing else, no window, no bed, absolutely nothing. I was in that room for at least a day before someone came to see me. I begged to know what was going on and cried for my family, they didn't listen and dragged me out of the room and into a long dark corridor. As we walked along there were doors just like mine and every so often I could hear voices from behind them.

They tested me in every possible way, I was what they were looking for exactly, I was strong and could blade and I was intelligent but I didn't have the cold emotionless personality they wanted me to. I was taught how to use firearms of every description; I could pick each target off with a sniper rifle or handle a large machine gun with ease. I began to change, I was willing to kill if it saved me from punishment and I did on multiple occasions, all I felt was hatred and anger towards the people who made me do it.

I was put on a team with Bryan, Spencer, Ian and Kai who each had their own special talents in both the blading arena and in combat. I've seen what they have done and they'd been there for as long as they could all remember, in Spencer's case almost from birth. They adjusted to being out of the abbey faster than me, maybe because I knew what it was like before all that shit. They are my friends but I do not trust them just like I trust no one else. How do I know who will betray me and stick a knife in my back?

On one mission I was chosen to do, I had to kill the wife of some underground drug dealer. I went out like normal, armed with a simple handgun and a knife to slit her throat if I had to. It took only an hour to find her, there was no security and I wondered if they wanted her to die. She saw me coming and tried to run but something was sapping her health, she was pregnant, a future mother. When I looked in her eyes I could see myself reflected in them about to kill not one person but two, an unborn baby who nothing of the world. She pleaded for me to let her go and I did, I still didn't have it in me to kill an expecting mother.

The punishment I got for that was far worse than I'd ever thought. They couldn't believe some part of the boy they first got was still in me and they wanted that gone so they changed me themselves. They planted some chip in me and hooked me up to machines to alter my brain. Every week I'd have to go back and they would monitor the process closely. I was now faster and stronger, my eyes were sharper and my hearing was amazing. I still got beaten for failing the mission of course but the wounds closed up quickly and after only a few days only one scar could testify what I had been though.

From then on I was trained twice as hard and went on every mission. I was their ultimate soldier, a ruthless killing machine that could also be used in their plan of world domination through the sport of beyblading. It was a few months after the transformation into a cyborg when we first got our bit beasts. Kai already had his of course, it is a Hiwarti heirloom and Dranzer only responds to someone with this blood in them, but he was presented with Black Dranzer. We each tried the new dark beast but it had the same requirement as the true Dranzer and only Kai and his family could use it.

Our bit beasts are some of the oldest but they were altered, like I was, to become cold and more powerful than normal. I found it ironic that Wolborg paired with me considering my last name by birth, she was the only one to pair off with someone the others, especially Bryan, had to dominate theirs to be able to use them. Our focus from then on was blading and we each had different training schedules, we were each a different weapon.

When Kai escaped I was chosen as the leader to a team that could not work together in the dish, this was how we had been trained. I was the natural leader, Spencer doesn't speak much and neither does Ian, Bryan was much too aggressive to represent the team. When Kai came back I could instantly see he'd changed, your team had done something to him that made him open his eyes to what he'd done, and he came back for Black Dranzer.

It was like a spell to him and he finally broke it. You know how the finals went, some people think we lost on purpose and I would have to say that Bryan would never have done such a thing. When I battled Tyson I could see everything that I had once believed, things I'd grown up with and loved, I could see I'd become a monster from what they'd done to me. The anger that the chip made me feel redirected and fine focused on Boris and Voltaire and in a last effort to destroy them for everything they'd done to those raised in the abbey, I purposely lost the match while trying to look like I'd tried. It worked but Boris escaped and Voltaire denied any involvement and was eventually cleared.

All the kids of the abbey were either placed in an orphanage or adopted or if they were old enough they could go out on their own like my team did. As I said they all adjusted better to it than I did. Spencer was the first to truly understand the world outside the abbey that is if you don't include Kai. Everything reminded me of the abbey and what I'd done. They both could see the difference and adapted accordingly and it suited them both perfectly, of course all of us were under Kai's care because he had the money. We all have money from blading with the BBA now but then only he did.

We all lived together and for a while everything was going ok, we were all haunted by nightmares and Kai had to go on sleeping pills but we survived the mental torture now that we knew our actions were wrong. About a year after we left the abbey, during the world tournament, my mother got in contact with me after seeing me on TV. When we were in America I managed to sneak away to see her. She looked almost the same as I remembered, a bit older but the same, and with her was a three and a half year old girl. The first thing she did was introduce me to my baby sister, Ally. Just like my general features took after my mother other than hair and eyes colours, she took after our father. She has darker red hair than mine, completely straight, and ocean blue eyes.

When I saw her memories flooded back from my time in the abbey, unlike the others I knew what I was doing was against everything I had been taught. I still had the chip in me, even if the machine that had originally programmed has been destroyed, so I still didn't feel much more than anger but when I saw my family I realised I didn't want to live without happiness and love. Anyway after introducing us, my mother broke the news that barely 2 years before my father had passed away from Malaria.

After that we mostly spoke about what we'd been doing since then, she'd missed me, uncertain of my fate, and wanted me to come back and live with her and my little sister. I wanted to say yes, I really did, but I doubted I was a good influence for the growing toddler and my temper was still an issue so I declined the offer. We talked often after that, mostly by phone and when I lived in Russia she would never come to see me even if she still had this house here, she would never come back to this country.

A few months after the championships ended I attempted suicide by overdosing on Kai's pills, I'd tried to change but the chip in my brain kept preventing it and I'd had enough I didn't want to live like that anymore. Spencer was the one who found me first, I'd hidden in a cave in the woods near Kai's mansion, and he called for the ambulance. I was almost gone before I arrived there and if it hadn't been for my cyborg healing skills I would have already been dead.

When I regained consciousness the doctors analysed me and had long talks about why I'd tried to kill myself. I was incredibly uncooperative but eventually they diagnosed me with PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and slight depression. They put me on a lot of different pills to prevent me from committing suicide again. I guess it worked but I hate taking them and it hasn't helped my trying to change myself for the better. Maybe it's not even possible anymore."

Ray's eyes were wide in both shock and disbelief. Not once had he ever imagined the Wolf's life like that. As he processed everything he'd learnt, slowly so he wouldn't miss a thing, he carefully placed his arm over Tala's stomach. Clouded blue eyes turned to look at him, distressed and lonely. Fighting down pity and sympathy, the Tiger moved his other arm so he could hug the Russian close, Tala didn't protest.

"You can change, Tal. It just takes some effort to forgive yourself, you can't change what you've done but you can change your future," he said as he stroked the wolf's hair, tears now falling down the older teen's face. "If there is any way for me to help, and even if there isn't, I'll be here for you."

The only sound in the room was Tala's quiet sobs. Ray kissed him softly on the forehead, letting his instinct take over and felt an odd affection for the Russian.

"We should be getting downstairs with the sleeping bags and tent. They will be wondering where we are," the red head whispered hoarsely.

Nodding, Ray released the Wolf from the hug but held onto him hand. With the Tiger leading they made their way back to the stairs with the locked door. Tala still looked upset but that didn't stop him from opening the door and rolling all the bags down the stairs with Ray by his side still holding hands. It was dark where they were and no one could see them from the bottom so a heart beat before they started descending the stairs Tala whipped around so fast that he was almost a blur and put his mouth over the Tiger's.

A moment later they separated and walked side by side down the stairs, a small smile forming on the Wolf's face. Telling Ray his life had lifted something he hadn't known he'd been carrying on his shoulders, he felt comfortable around the Chinese blader and he already felt happier. He knew deep down he could never escape the anger but he could reawaken the emotions he had lost all those years ago. For the first time since he was 9 years old he felt a small glimmer of hope.

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><p><strong>Hope you somewhat enjoyed that. It will be explained in more detail why Tala decided to tell Ray in the story! Let me know what you think.<strong>


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